If It Walks Like a Duck and Quacks Like a Duck, It Might Need Rescuing
Haddonfield patrolmen deliver a warm and fuzzy, feel-good moment. Literally.
Photos
HADDONFIELD, NJ -- Last Sunday, a local police officer came to the rescue of a quartet of mallard ducklings that fell through a storm sewer grate on a leafy street on his beat.
If he’s not careful, officer Stu Holloway is going to get a reputation. He breathed life back into an unresponsive infant in January, an act her tearful parents said saved her life. One of his commanding officers said he’d rescue a Beanie Baby if it were in trouble.
His daring deeds haven't yet elevated him to the level of, say, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who once pulled people out of a burning building, but Holloway's local heroics are starting to get him notice.
"We're here to do a job and if we can come up with some ingenuity to rescue four ducks in a sewer grate or go in and save somebody's life, we're going to do what we can," said Holloway, a 12-year Haddonfield police veteran.
Holloway teamed with veteran patrolman Robert Shreve for the duck rescue in Haddonfield. In fact, it was Shreve who descended down a 6-foot ladder stair into the sewer to retrieve the ducklings. It was no easy feat for Shreve, a 6-foot-6, 300-pound 17-year veteran.
"That's what makes this job," Shreve said. "You just never know what you're going to come across."
Cindi Train, a resident of Station Avenue, near Chews Landing Road, said she saw the entire duck rescue in front of her home. She said the image that sticks with her is seeing Shreve and Holloway gently cradling the ducklings until they were reunited with their wayward mother.
"They are big guys, but they were sweet and tender with the ducklings," she said.
Train provided a bucket for them to hoist the ducklings out of the sewer. She said a neighbor called police when she noticed the ducklings disappearing through the sewer grate while driving by. Shreve arrived first, then Holloway.
"Instead of wasting some time waiting for animal control, we decided we were going to pick up the sewer grate," Holloway said. "Officer Shreve was the short straw so he went down. It was one that was a little bit tough to get, so Bob is pretty good at some duck calls. He made a couple of calls and whistles and here comes the little chick out waddling from one side to the other and we caught the last remaining one."
Shreve credits his grandfather for teaching him bird whistles. But, it was a team effort.
Neighbors helped by keeping the mother duck, who had several other ducklings with her, away from the rescue. The frantic mother was originally walking her brood across the street when one of her ducklings fell through the grate, Train and the officers said. When the mother tried to rescue the first duckling that fell through, others following her fell through, as well.
Once the ducklings were pulled from the sewer, the rescuers gently guided them back to their waiting mother and siblings in nearby brush.
"You could hear the mother calling and the chicks responding," Shreve said, and then joked, "I kept hearing the Peaches & Herb song "Reunited...and it feels so good..."
The Alchemist
12:03 pm on Monday, July 9, 2012
Thank you, Holloway and Shreve, for making the world a slightly happier place. :)
YeahWhatEverrrr
6:32 am on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
New Jersey, ... They supposedly save animals (because they can control animals completely), and they try to save humans on occasion (hoping it will get them "MONEY" later on in the future).
Enough said.
Angelzrus
8:10 am on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
You needa hug!
Lauri
8:54 am on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Your name says everything we need to know about your character (or should I say, lack thereof).
PATRICIA WOJNO
10:17 am on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Just because there are some stupid shows on television about NJ, doesn't mean that everyone from this state is like that. Didn't your mother teach you not to believe everything you see on TV? Those people are a bunch of uneducated morons, and are nothing like the rest of us. And you might know that if you ever came here. Stop making assumptions.
karen wall
12:32 pm on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Buzz kill
HappyCamper
8:31 am on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
This was a heartwarming story and this idiot wants to spoil it. So, let's get rid of all the Haters by putting them on an island, and Yeahwhateverrr can be the mayor!
Lauri
8:57 am on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
I second that nomination!!
Dennis
8:36 am on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
I think this is just ducky!
laura lowd
8:53 am on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
i wish there were more people who cared about animals the way these officers did. All i see here where I live is a bunch of irresponsible dirt bags. Leaving thier animals off in the middle of nowhere when they dont want to care for them anymore.
Thank you, people who called for help and the officers who risked life and limb.
Kip Karter
9:50 am on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
I love this story.
amy Uggiano
9:54 am on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Thank you officers for holding all life as precious and worth saving!.today I start my day with a smile because of you...
apwolf45
9:58 am on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Where's a proofreader when AOL needs one? "Neighbors helped by keeping the mother duck, who had several other chicks with her, away from the rescue. The frantic mother was originally walking her brood across the street when one of her ducklings fell threw the grate" Why was the mother DUCK escorting CHICKS? Even a preschooler knows baby ducks are DUCKLINGS. Chicks are baby chickens. (See AOL? Note the similarity of the two baby bird names to the names of their parents.) Duckling and chick are NOT synomyms.
Additionally, how strong was that duckling that it not only fell but propelled the grate through (not threw) the air? That would make the rescue much more interesting.
Lauren Burgoon
11:40 am on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Thanks for your catches and your rather impassioned copy editing stance. We've fixed these errors.
apwolf45
12:24 pm on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Well, you fixed the errors I pointed out the first time. Did you look any further into the article? Why did the mother duck adopt baby chickens again? Check this please.
" 'You could hear the mother calling and the chicks responding,' Shreve said..." Those poor ducklings must have felt truly abandoned when more chicks usurped their places with their mother, or did the mother duck have an identity problem herself?
karen wall
12:33 pm on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Buzz kill, the sequel
Lauren Burgoon
1:08 pm on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
We can't, and don't, alter quotes. I believe it was an honest mistake on the part of the officer and resident who called them chicks. But if we see any ducks carting around chicken babies, we'll certainly be back with a follow up. Thanks for reading!
ree
3:17 pm on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
According to some dictionaries, a chick is "the young of any bird". So whilst duckling might be a more precise term, chick is not completely erroneous.
Kelli Jean Brewer
10:25 am on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Stu & Bob, you both are great people & may God bless you for taking time out of your day to rescue innocent life. Animals are living breathing beings & need love too & instead of looking at them as disposable worthless commodities, you both viewed them as precious life & helped them. Thank you so much for your support & effort.
Rich
10:29 am on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Ducks are so cute. We have lots of them where I live. One day I came home from my morning run and found 22 females strolling across my front yard. It was like a ladies convention, absolutely hilarious. The best though, is when you see a momma duck with here little ducklings. We even have duck crossing signs in some areas.
Angela Harlow
10:37 am on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
we need more stories like this instead of all the negitive ones
Ed Andrews
11:32 am on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Bravo......A salute from Minnesota to Haddonfield patrolmen Stu Holloway and Robert Shreve. Thank You for caring.
Toggle62
11:39 am on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Ironically the same day an article posts about NYC gassing 700 Canadian Geese from Jamiaca Bay near JFK airport to reduce airstrikes.
GNOBIE01
2:27 pm on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
THOSE BIRDS WILL CAUSE MAJOR LOSS OF HUMAN LIFE SHOULD A STRIKE HAPPEN ....THE DUCKLINGS WON'T....APPLES TO GRENADES DIFFERENCE
heidi
1:50 pm on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Its wonderful that he saved all these ducklings,what a great guy. Its horrible on the other hand how all those canadian geese are going to be gased to death, I would prefer to gas the people doing it to them,save the geese,save all animals.
ree
3:19 pm on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Truly a waste of foie gras. Too bad they couldn't find a way to harvest and eat the nuisance geese.
Michelle U
2:22 pm on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
You know you are blessed by God when you are close to nature.You never find a selfish person close to nature. Awesome job guys! :) May God Protect you...